My dental bridge lasted only 1 year 9 months. What caused it to break down?

Question

On September 23, 2013, I had a dental bridge installed to my upper teeth with a Pontic Porcelain/Ceramic. On June 14, 2015 I felt a break line on my bridge, touching it with my finger nail, part of the bridge broke apart. From what I have read that bridges suppose to last at least 5-10 years, is this true! Question: what is the causes of the bridge breakdown and am I paying to much for the bridge work, my insurance does not cover nothing. thank you....Aloha...Robert Souza

Ramzi Matar, DDS · Answer

Is it possible for you to post a picture of the break?  Its difficult to say if the outer porcelain chipped or if there was a complete fracture/failure of the bridge.  Statistically a dental bridge (on natural teeth) should last between 7-10 years.  So it is a bit out of range for this bridge to fail this early on.  But as Dr. Borowski noted..there are several legitimate reasons and rational that a bridge can fail sooner than usual.  If you can post pictures it would be very helpful to asses, thanks!

Vicki Borowski, DDS · Answer

It is true most dental work is expected to last longer than 1.75 years, but there are things that can cause a bridge to fracture. If you eat things that you shouldn't, such as ice or hard candy, porcelain can fracture. If you put things in your mouth that you shouldn't, that can cause porcelain to fracture. If your bite is very heavy, you clench or grind your teeth, this can cause porcelain to fracture. I would suggest visiting with your dentist and discussing the problem. I'm sure there can be an amicable resolution to the problem. Additionally, you didn't overpay. The fees you posted were very moderate. I hope this answer helps.

Susan Hollinsworth, DDS (retired) · Answer

Photos of the broken bridge and of your bite would be helpful to give a better assessment. Most often failure of porcelain is due to bite issues. How long did you have a temporary bridge on? Did it come off and need to recemented during this time? Did it break? Was the length and shape of the teeth changed from what was there previously? Often a bite issue will also show up in the temporary unless the temporary was made from the existing teeth and the new bridge was changed significantly from that. Was a nightguard recommended? Do you grind or clench your teeth? This could certainly hasten the breakdown of the bridge. Certainly your habits and even rarely, a lab failure in the procelain are possible but much less likely. I would suggest sitting down with your dentist and determine why he/she thinks it broke and come up with a plan to eliminate that(such as wearing a temporary with the new bite for a period of 3-4 weeks to see if it holds up) before proceeding with doing a new bridge. The fees seem very reasonable and I'm sure your dentist will be,too.

My dental bridge lasted only 1 year 9 months. What caused it to break down?

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My dental bridge lasted only 1 year 9 months. What caused it to break down?

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Dental Bridge

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